Vows
by Paulina Ann
Summary: Part of "Taken" series. F/20 J/19. Sequel to "Where My Demons Hide." Will Joe and Vanessa get married? How will things change or will they stay the same?
1. Chapter 1

**Vows**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Summary:** Part of "Taken" series. F/20 J/19. Sequel to "Where My Demons Hide." Will Joe and Vanessa get married? How will things change or will they stay the same?

 **Author's Notes:** This took a little longer than expected to write. :-) Sorry for the delay. So this story is ten chapters and I consider it a 'bridge' story from one large adventure story to the next. As with other shorter stories of mine that were also bridge stories, things happen in this story that are very important to the timeline, so take note! LOL It took me longer than expected to write this due to real life and a slight brain freeze in the story. ;-) I have NOT started on the next one but plan to begin work soon.

* * *

 **Series List (just the teenage fics listed below):**

Taken  
Recovery  
Retribution  
Wild Pitch  
Undercover Trouble: Covert Contention (yeah, little bit wordy there)  
For Who You Are  
Mission Parameters  
Debts  
Survival Instincts  
Where My Demons Hide  
Vows

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 **Chapter One: Introduction**

From: Where My Demons Hide

 _Looking up at her, he took her hand and said, "Yes, I'll marry you. Will you marry me, Vanessa Bender?" He slid the ring on her fourth finger and smiled up at her as he asked, "Changed your mind?"_

 _She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around his neck almost knocking him over. "Yes! Yes! I'll marry you!"_

 _Joe laughed as he regained his balance and held her tightly. After a moment they stood and embraced again._

 _"_ _I didn't know you had the ring with you," she said as she gazed at it in amazement._

 _He smoothed her hair as he said, "I've worn it around my neck every day since I returned home." He smiled as she continued to look at the ring. "You know our parents aren't going to be very happy that we're engaged."_

 _Vanessa chuckled and turned her smile upon him. "They're going to be even more surprised that we're married."_

 _Joe frowned. "Married?"_

 _"I guess I didn't finish my proposal." The smile was still on her face as she put her arms around his neck. "Let's elope."_

.**********.

Joe's grip around her waist tightened slightly as he looked at her in surprise. "Elope?" He saw her nod; the grin still on her lips. "You and me?" he asked somewhat dumbfounded. She nodded again but still he had to confirm. "Elope as in get married without telling anyone? Go to Vegas type elope?"

At this she laughed and stepped back but her hands found his. "Well, I can't say I was planning to be married by an Elvis impersonator. But the rest is about right." Her eyes went to the lovely diamond and sapphire ring on her left hand and her smile faded a little as she looked back up at him. "Can you honestly say that _anyone_ will be thrilled at this?"

Joe stood silent; there was nothing to argue there. "But the wedding… the dress…" He dropped one of her hands to wave his in the air in a circular motion. "All the stuff that girls dream of-" he paused. "You don't want that?"

A small smile formed on her face. "I want you."

He grinned a little at that. "You have me. But wouldn't you want to wait a few months? By then everyone will probably be thrilled."

"Is that you talking or what you've been told?" she asked with an arched brow.

Joe laughed. "It's me talking. I don't want you to regret marrying me-"

Vanessa put a finger to his lips. "I would never regret it." She looked behind them to a bench and pulled him by the hand over to it and sat down. Once he was seated next to her, she continued, "You know my mom eloped."

"Yes."

"She has told me lots of times that she has never regretted it."

"But this is you and not your mom. Wouldn't you regret it? We'd only need to wait a few months-"

"Would we?"

"What?"

"Would it just be a few months? Would something come up? Would our family say,' oh, why don't you wait a few more months?'"

Joe looked out to the dark blue water of the bay. "You know I can't answer that. Too many uncertainties."

"And that's why we'll elope." Vanessa's voice was confident. "I've checked into the law; I know what we need to do. Joe, in just three days we could be married!" Her voice was low but excited.

Thoughts about what Andrea would think as well as his family went out of his head as he joined in her excitement. Life was too uncertain for him and Vanessa was willing to help him fight his demons…. "Let's do it." He whispered back and had no idea why he was whispering.

Vanessa giggled.

"But one change," Joe said. "I want to tell Frank. I want him to be at the ceremony."

Vanessa didn't stop smiling. She had probably already planned on this. "Of course. And I'll ask Callie to come to. They can be our witnesses."

Joe breathed a sigh of relief. Vanessa really did understand him.

"But let's not tell them where we're going. We'll get all dressed up for a fancy dinner out and we'll get married and then go to the fancy dinner."

Joe laughed out loud. "I guess that will work but I think we'll need to work on the details or Frank will never buy it."

Vanessa smiled. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out all in the next week."

"Next week?" Joe said as the immediacy washed over him.

"Too early?" she asked with just the first hint of concern.

Joe squeezed her hand. "No it's not too early. I just have to get used to the fact that next week I'll have a wife."

Vanessa leaned over to kiss him but before she did she whispered, "And no more having to say Aunt Gertrude's name."

Joe laughed as his lips met hers.

.**********.

On the boat ride back, they were both a little overwhelmed with emotion and didn't say a lot except for 'I love you.' But once they were back in the van, Joe put the key in the ignition but didn't turn it over. Instead he turned to Vanessa and returned to an earlier subject. "But what about your mom? Won't she be disappointed? Won't you miss out on all the… stuff that goes with a wedding?"

Vanessa didn't hesitate. "I've thought about it, Joe. You know that I'm not the most girlie of girls but I'll still buy a special dress. I'll get a bouquet. We'll have someone take some pictures at the ceremony." She shrugged. "They might not be professional, but you and I can go to a professional sometime afterward and get a picture we can hang up." And then she smiled. "And I have a feeling we'll have a reason to dress up in a few years' time anyway. I can't picture Callie and Frank waiting but so long and I'm sure you'll be part of the wedding party." Then she waved in the air, mimicking his earlier gesture. "There you go. Fancy dress, flowers, formal pictures, the music, the reception… It'll be Frank and Callie's day… but in our hearts and minds, we can make it ours too."

Her voice ended softly and he was touched at the thought that she really had put into it. Then his mind was brought back by the drama an elopement would cause.

"What about your mom, Joe? Are you ready to handle her disappointment?"

Joe sat back in the seat and reached out to play with the keychain dangling from the ignition. "I wish she was ready for this. She's not. But she will be disappointed…." His voice faded off and then he added, "Maybe even devastated."

"Do you want to do this? Don't let me be the deciding factor-"

Joe broke in almost angrily. "But you are," he said forcefully. " _You_ are the deciding factor. Not my mom. My mom made a choice. I'm making one. It's my life, not hers." His voice had lost its angry tone as he reached a hand out to caress Vanessa's cheek. "You are the one to be with me the rest of my life. I want my mom in my life too. But you are the one that I'll be spending it with." His hand dropped. "I guess we'll both have to deal with the reactions of our parents." He smiled slightly, "Are you willing to face those with me?"

Her smile was in her eyes and her tone as she answered, "I will face anything with you, Joe Hardy."

Joe tore his gaze away from hers and reached for the ignition once again. "Well, in that case soon-to-be Mrs. Hardy, let's plan an elopement."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** Thank you to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! Much appreciated! If I didn't respond to your review, apologies. I was out of town most of the weekend and just got home. I tried to make sure I had everyone but sometimes I miss things! This is currently the longest chapter in the story. I hope you enjoy! And for you F/C fans. A bit of love for you hear but this isn't the big scene for F/C in this story. No, it's not a proposal, but they do get some quality time in the story that I hope you enjoy. ;-D

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 _The following week… late Friday afternoon._

Joe pulled Vanessa's sedan into the drop off/pick-up circle in front of her dorm. He had spotted her immediately. She was standing next to one of the portico's ionic columns looking like a goddess. At least to him.

He exited the car and moved around to open the passenger door for her. He only heard a few of the comments about how nice they looked because he was focused on his soon-to-be-bride.

Vanessa's long blonde hair had been pulled to the top of her head and fell in ringlets to the side and back. Her dress was white and looked like satin but the material was softer and fit her torso. It was long and went down to her ankles with a split up the right side to just above her knee. The bodice was strapless but she had a lace jacket that she wore overtop. Pearls adorned her ears and throat and Joe thought she looked perfect.

Joe pulled slightly on his jacket. While he was not wearing a tux, he was wearing a high end rented suit that fit him nicely. The black material had a slight sheen and was crisp and wrinkle free. The only color besides black and white was the blue-gray tie that matched Vanessa's eyes.

He extended his hand and she grasped it. Stepping closer, he leaned down to place a quick kiss on her lips. He could feel her hand tighten around his. As he pulled back, he asked, "Ready, Ms. Bender?"

"Ready, Mr. Hardy. I'm looking forward to being Mrs. Hardy by tonight."

Joe's eyes twinkled as he said, "I'm looking forward to tonight, too."

Vanessa blushed as Joe laughed and assisted her into the car. When he closed the door he was still smiling. There was lightness to his step as he moved back to the driver's side.

.**********.

Frank couldn't help but steal glances at his girlfriend. He had been doing that constantly after picking her up. Looking at her in the van, he wished he had something a little sportier. But then, looking like she did, she didn't need a car to add anything. His thoughts were broken when she laughed.

"What?" he asked with a smile as he concentrated on the road.

"You need to look at the road more and me less," she said with another giggle.

Callie was wearing an emerald green knee-length dress that had a flare to the skirt. It had a scoop neck with a sheer emerald material over top. She wore a triple strand pearl choker with pearl teardrop earrings. Her three inch black patent pumps completed her ensemble. Frank felt that his black suit and tie didn't compare to how she looked in her outfit. He'd have to remember to thank Joe for thinking this up.

"I can't believe Vanessa invited us along," Callie said.

Frank shrugged slightly, his eyes now on firmly on the road stretching out before him. "The deal she got was just for one room and you know that wouldn't work. So splitting the cost of a second room worked out great for them and us," he said with a smile. "I know you've checked out the resort; it's going to be a great weekend."

"Southport Seaside Resort is five stars. I hope that the clothes I bought will be all right."

Frank laughed. "You look like a million dollars, Callie. And besides, we are just going to be going to the restaurant and club for two nights. The rest of the time we'll be at the pool or the beach."

Callie sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Vanessa and Joe needed this. Getting away works just right for them now before he gets into football season full swing."

"He really seems to have bounced back…." Callie's voice drifted off.

Frank glanced over to her again and then back to road. She was looking out the window. "And?" he prompted as she seemed to have more to say. He could see her face turn to him as she shrugged.

"I don't know. He's doing so well and that's not it. It's more Vanessa."

"Vanessa?"

"I don't know. She was somewhat quiet-" she paused as Frank laughed. "Yeah, quiet for Vanessa," she said with a smile. "And this week she's been going from bubbly to super-concentrated kind of quiet as she worked on her laptop."

"Well, she did find this last minute deal for the resort. That could explain a lot couldn't it? She was excited and then working to get everything figured out."

"Yeah, I guess so."

He could tell that Callie wasn't convinced but then she was the one who roomed with Vanessa. She knew her moods pretty well. "Can you think of something else it could be?"

Callie sighed. "No. And I guess it doesn't really matter as long as they're both happy." She stopped for just a moment and then asked, "Has Joe been acting differently?"

It was Frank's turn to pause. "Well, actually, I'm not sure. I haven't seen him much since last weekend. He was in a really good mood after he and Vanessa went off to Presque Isle but then I've only seen him for supper once. He acted like he usually does. But then his 'usual' mood can be just about anything right now since he's been through so much recently. Sometimes he's quiet and other times he's talkative." Frank shook his head back and forth. "I guess it's hard to say how he acted but he didn't act depressed and that's what I'm most concerned about."

"Well, let's just enjoy the weekend then. We'll be able to see how they are together."

Frank could hear the smile in her voice though he wasn't looking at her as he had a turn coming up. But he smiled as well. The weekend would be great.

.**********.

Joe and Vanessa stood out in front of the resort next to a rented white limo. Well, Vanessa stood and Joe paced the length of the vehicle. Vanessa laughed.

"What?" Joe asked turning to face her.

"You." She walked forward to take his hand. "Callie texted that they would be here in ten minutes. We'll have the bellhop take their bags and the valet park the van. She squeezed his hand and smiled broadly. "We'll all go to the garden chapel and the wedding official will perform the ceremony and we'll come back."

Joe tried to relax but everything had sounded so simple and easy but now faced with the reality of explaining to his brother… well that wasn't sounding so simple and easy anymore. But he had to admit, that he had very little to stress over until now. Vanessa had planned everything. He leaned over and lightly kissed her lips. "You've done a great job planning all this and I'm not worried about anything you planned. I'm just… concerned about Frank's reaction."

She continued to look in his eyes. "We've talked about it. He loves you. He may not understand but we've made up our minds about this."

The breath he'd been holding came out slowly and then he smiled. "Yes, we have."

Vanessa's eyes looked to a spot behind them. "They're here." She dropped his hand and turned to wave.

Joe turned as well and smiled. It was time to let his brother and girlfriend know what the plan was. "Hi, Frank! Hi, Callie!" he called as they stepped from the van. Frank waved and moved to the back to get their bags. Vanessa had moved to speak to Callie and the two were complimenting each other on their attire. Joe moved to the back and took a suitcase from Frank and waved to a bellhop.

Frank laughed, "What are you doing, Joe? I can get the bags to the room."

"I know you can, but we're not going to the rooms yet." His attention turned to the bellhop. "He handed him Callie's flower print bag. Callie Shaw's room." He motioned to Frank's bag and said, "Frank Hardy's room."

But Frank held on to the bag when the bellhop reached his hand out. "I don't understand."

Joe smiled. "Just give him the bag and trust me."

Frank hesitated for only a moment and then handed over the bag.

Joe held out his hand. "Keys."

Once again the hesitation was only for a moment and Frank handed his keys to Joe who turned to the nearby valet attendant and gave him the key. It was obvious that Joe had already given the young man the needed information.

"Thanks again for the tip, Mr. Hardy," the young man said as he moved around the van.

"I suppose explanations are coming soon?" Frank said as he fell into step with Joe who was moving toward the girls.

"I promise we'll explain as soon as we get in the car."

"Car?" Frank asked in some confusion.

Joe patted the back of the limo. The driver moved over to open the back door and gestured for the couples to enter.

Vanessa got in on the seat facing forward with Frank moving to sit next to Callie on the opposite side and then Joe next to Vanessa. The door closed and the couples faced each other.

"What's going on, Joe? Vanessa won't tell me anything but I don't think this limo came with the room." Callie said as she scooted over the bench seat to make a little more room.

Joe took one last look at Vanessa who was still smiling and then turned to face Frank and Callie. "We're getting married."

Silence and then Frank asked apprehensively, "When?"

"Now," Vanessa said. "We're on the way to the location."

"You're eloping," Callie said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Joe and Vanessa answered together.

Frank's quiet attitude was starting to worry Joe. "We've been told by so many that we needed to wait. Encouraged to wait. What would waiting a few months hurt?"

Vanessa shook her head. "We don't want to wait and we decided that if our parents weren't going to be supportive, then we'd just go ahead and get married on our own."

"Joe," Frank said softly. "Mom and dad wouldn't have-"

"No, Frank. They did. Although they were more subtle and gentle than Mrs. Bender." He felt Vanessa squeeze his hand in support.

"There wasn't any super deal. Joe and I have paid for both your rooms. We have one to ourselves," she blushed and then pushed forward. "There will be some flowers, someone taking a few pictures and a video of the ceremony."

"We'd like for you both to be our witnesses plus our best man and maid of honor." He drew a quick breath. "But if you can't, we understand and we'll send you back to the hotel in the limo-"

"Stop there, Joe," Frank said. "Of course I'll be your best man. I can't imagine not being there for you." He smiled. "Am I surprised? Yes. Do I wish you had just told our parents about this? Yes. But I would never stand in the way of the two of you getting married."

"And of course I'll be your maid of honor," Callie said as smiled at her friends.

"Are you ready for the fallout when you tell everyone?" Frank asked, still smiling.

Joe saddened for moment. "I know they will be disappointed but they made the choice to discourage us from getting engaged and married too quickly. Not because they thought we weren't right for each other but because of what I've been through." No one could dispute that. "Dad's always talked to me about choices and the consequences of the choices you make. They made a choice and they'll have to live with it."

"If our choice is waiting to make our parents happy or making an informed, thought out decision for our own happiness, well, we're going with our happiness." Vanessa smiled sadly for a moment and then brightened. "We've already lined up off-campus housing and put in a request to get on the waiting list for housing for married students. I've contacted insurance agencies for health and car insurance."

Joe laughed and said, "I helped some, but to be honest, Vanessa is the one who figured out all the things we need to do set up our own house."

She blushed at the admiration evident in his voice.

"Well, it's obvious that you have thought this through. I'm happy for you both."

Callie was smiling broadly when she asked, "Did you write your own vows?"

Joe laughed because he knew the smile was for thinking he had written some. He squeezed Vanessa's hand as he said, "No. We decided to go with the standard one, leaving out the 'obey' part."

Vanessa laughed at first but then gave Joe a soft smile. "We've already said vows to each other."

After another squeeze of her hand, Joe released it and reached into his suit pocket and pulled out two boxes. He handed one to Frank and one to Callie. "Don't lose them between here and the ceremony."

Frank laughed as he opened the box and looked at Vanessa's ring inside. "I'm sure that I can get the ring that far."

.**********.

Frank sat quietly, looking at Callie and Vanessa talking animatedly about the location for the ceremony and the flowers among other things. It was happening. He was sad that his parents wouldn't be there. He knew how hurt his mother would be but he had heard their comments to Joe saying he was doing the right thing to wait and things like that. The one time that Joe had spoken up and made a comment about getting married anyway, his mother had made a comment about maybe putting the rings back in her jewelry case until they were ready. Joe had left the room and no one had commented on what had happened. Obviously, Joe wanted this and Vanessa too.

He felt a tap on his foot and looked up to find Joe smiling at him. Joe's eyes then went to Callie and back to Frank; one eyebrow raised.

Frank chuckled and smiled. "Not yet," he said quietly. His gaze turned to the beautiful girl beside him who was so animated talking to Vanessa. "But maybe sooner than you think."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** Thanks for the reviews! I love them! I hope that this chapter doesn't disappoint those of you who might have wanted more description of the wedding. I just couldn't bring myself to do it! LOL Giving the details about the clothes was about as close as I could get.

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

"You may kiss your bride," the wedding official said with a smile.

Joe wrapped his arms around Vanessa pulled her gently to him. The kiss they shared wasn't chaste but wasn't obnoxious either. As Frank, Callie, and the person doing the video and photos clapped the two pulled apart and turned to face them.

"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Hardy." The traditional recessional music played softly as Vanessa and Joe turned to give their best man and maid of honor hugs.

In less than fifteen minutes, the arrangements were finalized for the digital uploads of the pictures and video. The official marriage certificate would arrive in the mail to them in a few days after the official filed it. Now they were all in the limo on the way back to the hotel.

Vanessa put her clutch purse to the side on the seat as well as her small bouquet of flowers. Her face was flushed as Joe held her close to his side and kissed her check.

"Heading straight to the room?" Frank asked seriously and then smiled.

Joe laughed. "No, we're going to eat with you both and maybe dance a little before we head up." He glanced at Vanessa and winked, "But don't wait up for us in the morning for breakfast." They all laughed.

Frank looked to Vanessa who was blushing even more. "You know, it was really nice. Everything has been just perfect."

Smiling, Vanessa said, "Just because you elope, doesn't mean it can't be nice and that you can't have most of the things that you would normally have. Really, the only things that we missed were our family and friends being there. I'm just glad that you and Callie were able to be there."

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," Frank said.

"Me either," Callie chimed in. "You're planning was just incredible. I'll have to get you to help me when I get-" Callie stopped and blushed. Her eyes darted to Frank.

Joe burst out laughing at her obvious want to retract her comments. "Don't worry Callie; I'll lend you my wedding planner when you and GQ Sexy decide to tie the knot."

Callie blushed even more but she was laughing as she said, "I'll hold you to that."

Vanessa poked Joe in the side, "Stop teasing them."

His arm snaked back around her and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I'll tease you later."

Vanessa blushed red again as Frank started searching around the seat.

"Did you lose something, Frank?" Callie asked as she too glanced around the seat.

"No. Just looking for an intercom button so I can tell the driver to hurry up and get us to the hotel."

They all burst out laughing.

.**********.

That evening, Vanessa stood with her arm around Joe and her other hand holding her shoes. Joe was holding her clutch purse like it was an armed bomb. "Thanks again for being part of our day," Vanessa said to Callie and Frank as they all stood just outside the resort's nightclub. The music was too loud inside so they had moved to the hallway to say their goodbyes.

"Yeah, thanks for coming. But I was serious. We'll call you in the morning, don't call us," Joe said with a laugh as he started moving himself and Vanessa back toward the room area of the hotel.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Frank said their retreating backs.

Callie and Frank watched them go out of sight and then he asked, "What to go back in for a few more dances?"

"Why not?" Callie said with a smile as Frank took her hand and headed back into the club.

.**********.

Joe scooped Vanessa up into his arms as she giggled and clung to him. Joe reached for the door to their room and said, "Uh-oh."

"What?" Vanessa asked still giggling.

"The room key is my back pocket," he said with a laugh.

Vanessa removed an arm from Joe's neck and deftly reached into his back pocket and extracted the keycard. "Got it!"

Joe laughed and moved closer to door. "I think if cyber security doesn't work out for you, you can have a career in pick pocketing."

Vanessa swiped the key across the sensor and pressed the door handle down as Joe turned and pressed his back against the door pushing it open. Her lips were near his ear as she huskily said, "I've been waiting for this too long to let a key stop me."

Joe gently lowered her to the floor long enough to open the room door back up and stick the 'do not disturb' tag on. As the door swung automatically shut, Joe scooped her back up and headed for the bed with a smile on his face.

.**********.

It was after midnight when Frank and Callie made their way to their rooms that were side by side.

Frank stopped at her door and said, "It's been an eventful evening hasn't it?"

"Definitely. But I can't say I blame them."

"Would you elope?" Frank asked curiously.

"Depends on who asked me," she said with a wink.

Frank smiled and said, "Say it was a guy who looked like a sexy GQ model?"

Callie moved so she was directly in front of Frank and let her hands travel up and over the soft fabric of his jacket that he had put back on. Finally, her hands made their way behind his neck where her fingers made light tracing designs. "I think I might be tempted," she said as she tilted up her head.

Frank's mouth found hers and what started out as a bit of fun turned intense. When they broke apart, Callie was breathless as well as Frank. Their rooms were right there. All he had to do was open the door and take her in….

"Tempting, isn't it Frank?" Callie asked as she stepped back and dabbed at the edges of her smudged lipstick with a fingertip.

He didn't pretend to misunderstand. "Yes. I don't know how Joe and Vanessa did it."

Callie laughed, "Yes you do. Joe was dating Iola and then he was under intense pressure other times. Not to mention the most effective method of all."

Frank laughed, "And what is that?"

"Aunt Gertrude, Aunt Gertrude, Aunt Gertrude," Callie said as she opened her door and stood just inside. "Night, Frank."

"Night, Callie," he said as he turned toward his room. _Aunt Gertrude indeed_. He thought he'd need to keep saying her name until he could get a cold shower.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** Thank you for all the lovely reviews! They are much appreciated! Jilsen made a comment to me in a review or in a PM that I decided to add into the story. Jilsen, I'm sure you'll spot it! It was a great thought to add in.

This chapter is also the parent response and it is probably shorter than some of you expect, but I'm not looking for angst long term here because we all know that Joe and Vanessa are meant to be together in this storyline. ;-) I hope you enjoy.

Oh, and I just reposted this chapter! Thanks SleuthCK for noticing that I had changed Andrea to Angela for the whole chapter! LOL And I never noticed! ;-D

Correction part 2: 6/24 I discovered a missing line! LOL in fact, it's the main one I was putting in after chatting with Jilsen! Boy is this chapter 4 causing me problems! LOL I think it's right now!

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

"You did what?" Fenton asked his younger son. The tension in the room spiked at his quiet words as his wife moved to stand next to him in the Hardy living room. Her silence adding to the tension as much as Fenton's tone.

Joe drew a deep breath and released it, taking comfort in his brother's quiet presence behind him. _And the day's been so nice_ , he thought, _until now._ Vanessa had taken her car to go tell her mother and Joe had ridden with Frank in the van to tell their parents, with Callie being dropped off at the dorm along the way.

Joe held up his left hand with the back of it showing to his parents: his ring very evident. "Vanessa and I got married this weekend in Southport."

Laura's brows drew together in confusion. "But…. I thought…."

"I thought it was decided that you'd wait before taking-" Fenton began only to have Joe cut him off.

Joe's hand dropped; the irritation evident in his voice as he said, " _No_. Vanessa and I didn't decide to wait. Everyone else made that decision, not us," he said shaking his head in a negative fashion.

"But your therapy-" Laura began to once again be cut off by Joe.

"Is going along nicely. Dr. Childers hasn't said anything about me having any serious issues. And just so you know, Vanessa and I plan to have a few joint sessions together with the doctor just so he'll have a good understanding of our relationship." Joe paused for just a moment. "You know I'm still on active service with the agency and they trust me with life and death decisions every time I touch my handgun and rifle. I don't understand why you can't trust me to make this decision."

Silence fell across the room for a moment.

Joe's ability to think rationally in stressful situations was not something that Joe's parents could argue against, so Fenton went to a topic he felt confident about. "But where will you live?" Fenton asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, obviously thinking that things hadn't been thought out and that the young pair were going to run into all sorts of complications.

"We have a short-term lease on an apartment that is within walking distance of the college that we will move into at the start of the month. Until then, we'll stay at our assigned dorms. We've already applied for married student housing on-campus and are on the wait list."

"What about insurance and your van?" Laura asked.

"Obviously, you and dad can drop me. Vanessa and I will be applying for health insurance via ORT and will supplement with insurance through the college program as we aren't full-time at ORT." Joe shrugged, "As for the van, I'm turning that over to Frank and the sedan belongs to Vanessa. The money I've gotten working for ORT and the civil settlement I received from Laird's estate will more than cover what we need for a second vehicle."

The settlement from the civil suit brought against Laird by the Hardys and the families of the other victims had only been settled during the summer. And the Hardys had much more on their minds the past summer than Dominic Laird.

Fenton looked behind Joe to his brother. "You knew?"

Frank nodded. "I found out on the way to the ceremony."

"So the great deal at the resort was just a lie?" Laura asked her eyes on Joe.

"Yes, it was a lie." There was no need to sugar coat it. It was obvious why they had lied.

"You decided to lie instead of telling us the truth?" Fenton asked. "You couldn't tell us? You didn't think we'd support you?"

Joe closed his eyes. "No, dad. I didn't. How this conversation started just goes to show that you wouldn't. You would have tried to rationalize waiting. You would have dropped hints. Given us sad glances." He opened his eyes and shook his head. "You wouldn't have been excited for us. Vanessa and I had a great weekend. We had a great wedding. We have pictures and video if you decide you want to see it. I'll send the links to your email if you want to see them." He glanced over at his brother. "Frank's going to take me back to campus now." He paused, "Are Vanessa and I welcome for the family meal on Wednesday night?"

"Of course you are," Laura said emotionally as she moved forward to hug Joe. "You are always welcome here." Her embrace was tight.

"Thanks, mom," he said huskily as he returned her hug.

Fenton moved closer and extended his hand to Joe after they had separated. "Congratulations, son. She's a wonderful girl."

"That she is, dad. That she is." He took his dad's hand and then felt himself tugged forward into an embrace with his father. "We love you, Joe. Never forget that."

"I know, dad." Joe's eyes had teared up some. "I'm going to go now to meet up with Vanessa and see how it went for her."

"I'm sure Andrea will come around if she already hasn't," Laura said as she moved to walk Joe to the door. "Will you send the links tonight?" Laura's tone was hopeful.

"Of course I will. We'll see you Wednesday," Joe said as stepped out onto the porch.

Frank followed him out and said, "Well, that went better than expected."

Joe glanced back at the house. "I hope they continue to feel that way," Joe said as he opened the van door. "But I'm not sure that Mrs. Bender will."

.**********.

Vanessa stood patiently while her mother talked rather loudly about her rash decision. When Andrea Bender paused for a breath, Vanessa quietly said, "Do you hear yourself, mom? Do you know who you sound like?"

Andrea turned confused eyes on her daughter. "What do you mean? _Who_ do I sound like?"

Vanessa just continued to look politely at her mother.

Andrea's hand flew to her mouth. "I sound just like your grandmother when I told her I'd eloped with Jack." Her eyes widened in realization. "This isn't your fault; it's mine!"

Vanessa stepped forward to grab her mother's hands. "It's no one's fault mom. It was going to happen. It just happened sooner than you would have liked. But Joe and I… we're meant to be, just like you and dad."

Andrea embraced her daughter as she whispered apologies.

Vanessa closed her eyes; she and Joe were soul mates, just like her parents. She just prayed that Joe wasn't taken from her early like her father was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** Well, hopefully, I won't have any problems with my upload this time! LOL Operator error last time most likely. ;-D Thank you for the reviews! If I didn't reply to yours for the last chapter, apologies. I'm afraid the summer has gotten a little hectic! In fact, I'm leaving on vacation today. I will have access to internet and plan to post chapters unless I run into a problem. And of course, I'll try to reply to reviews! Thanks again!

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

 _Two weeks later…_

"Well, I think that does it," Joe said putting down the box in the kitchen and looking around at the small amount of boxes they had. Besides clothes, they had a set of dishes that belonged to Vanessa's paternal grandmother and silverware. They had gone to a discount furniture store and bought a loveseat and two chairs plus a small dinette set with four chairs. They had splurged on the mattress but had only bought a dresser to go with it as they had gone with a king size mattress and the small one bedroom apartment didn't have much room in the one bedroom. They had gotten cash and gift cards from friends and family and they were going to use some of that to purchase the pots, pans, linens, and tv that they would want to have. All in all, they were very happy with what they had.

Vanessa put her hands on her hips and looked over the small collection of boxes. "Definitely not as much stuff as when mom and I moved," she said with a laugh. She laughed even more when she felt Joe's arms around her and lips nuzzling her neck.

"How about we go check out that bedroom?" he said in a sexy whisper and nibbled her ear.

She broke free of his hold and laughed as a knock sounded at the door. "THAT would be your brother and Callie and we wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

"It wouldn't hurt them to wait just a little while," Joe grumbled as Vanessa giggled.

"Just 'a little while?'" she teased as she opened the door. Turning to face the guests, she said, "Come on in, Callie, Frank."

Frank slapped his hands together and asked, "So what can we help with?"

Joe pointed to the boxes on the floor that had the tv wall mount and the mid-sized flat screen tv. "Did you bring the tool kit?" Joe asked with a smile.

"Just as I promised. I didn't know if you needed help with anything else first."

"We just have to unpack clothes and dishes." Joe's nose scrunched at that. "And we need to put away things in the bathroom and make the-"

Frank held up his hands. "No problem. I'll go get the kit as I think a lot of that is stuff that you'll want to do yourselves."

An hour later and the boys were setting up the wifi connection to the tv.

"Mom and dad are coming over tomorrow night?" Frank asked casually.

"Yeah. Vanessa's a little nervous about cooking for them." Joe said, his eyes on the tv screen.

The first family dinner had been a little strained but last week had been very good. It had been obvious to everyone that Joe and Vanessa were very happy even though they were still living at their separate dorms.

Joe had been over to Mrs. Bender's and she had hugged him tightly and apologized. They had watched the wedding video together and even though Andrea cried at the end, she didn't say any harsh words to the young couple or blame them for anything.

As he stopped the channel on Sports Center, he turned to smile at Frank. "We'll have you and Callie over soon too."

"Sounds great. But Vanessa has enough on her plate. Let us bring takeout this time."

Joe looked past his brother to his wife in the small kitchen/dining area. She and Callie were laughing as they placed dishes in the cabinets. "She's doing great, but yeah, takeout would be nice too."

A segment on the tv was about some of the top college football teams. BC wasn't one of those of course but it did remind Frank of something. "Everything looking good for the game at ENCU?"

"Yeah, Biff has been sending me smack texts and emails about his increased speed," Joe said with a laugh as he moved to sit on the loveseat.

"Callie and I were thinking of driving down to watch the game," Frank said a little too casually.

"That's a really long drive since you've got to go through DC traffic on 95."

"Well, maybe we'll fly. Raleigh isn't that far and we can rent a car there to drive over," Frank said as he looked at his brother.

The conversation between them lulled as Joe looked carefully at his brother. "It's because of where ENCU is located isn't it?"

"The fact that you asked that means you're thinking about it."

"You didn't answer," Joe said and then leaned his head back and looked at the popcorn ceiling. "If you want to go, you're welcome too. I don't NEED you to go but I won't try to stop you." To be honest, he had thought some about the location of ENCU and its relative closeness to where Dominic Laird had held him captive. It was about an hour from the university. Definitely the closest he'd been since he testified at the sentencing.

"We'll go then," Frank said quietly.

"Thanks, I'll have Vanessa's flight changed to match whatever you choose. Because you know she was going to go," Joe said and then added, "I think we should help the girls some now." He knew it was obvious that he wanted to change the subject.

"The girls are doing quite fine, thank you," Vanessa called across the small area.

"Whatever you say, hun," he said with a smile as he rose from the loveseat and moved in that direction. He was over what Laird did to him. He was. _No. I'm not_ , he said to himself as he put on an artificial smile and laughed at something Callie was saying about the kitchen. _But I will be._

.**********.

 _The next night after Fenton and Laura had left and Joe and Vanessa had turned in for the night…_

Vanessa laid her hand gently on Joe's bare chest and settled her head on his shoulder as they lay in the bed together. "Tonight went well, I thought," Vanessa said as she snuggled close.

"Yeah, it did. You were great," he said with a smile that she couldn't see. "I could tell my mom was impressed with your cooking."

Vanessa laughed. "Well, I did work hard on that. I couldn't let smoke be billowing from the oven or the food overcooked. She'd never trust me to keep you well fed."

Joe joined in the laughter. "No, that's not mom you should be worried about. It's Aunt Gertrude." He could almost feel her scowl.

"Well, I won't have her over at the next visit. That congratulatory wedding card she sent wasn't very flattering."

Joe moved his hand so he could tilt her chin up to look at him. "Hey, I was joking. And she was just caught off-guard."

"Basically making comments that implied I'm a gold digger because of your settlement is a little more than caught off-guard."

"Listen, we don't have to see her if you don't want to."

"But your family holi-"

"You're my family. And if Aunt Gertrude makes you that uncomfortable, I don't want to go to Thanksgiving at my parents." He could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "Our first holidays as a married couple will be special and I'm not going to let anyone spoil that."

A watery smile appeared on her face as some tears sprang to her eyes. Her hand left his chest to brush them away. When she placed her hand back down, she rubbed his chest gently as the water from her tears was still on her fingers. She was still looking at him when she asked, "And how do you feel about all of us going to the ENCU game?"

His gaze didn't falter from hers but his hand moved to cover hers. "I appreciate the support but I can go there and play and not be haunted by what happened. It's a college town and it's nothing like where I was held captive. I won't be going into any swamps and playing football is nothing like the game that Laird played with me." He had an idea in mind regarding his trip, he hadn't figured it all out yet so he didn't want to bring it up.

Vanessa let out the breath she had been holding and truly smiled at him. "I just wanted to be sure."

Joe chuckled, his mind going away from darker thoughts as he concentrated on what Vanessa was saying. "I know that you can't attend all my away games, but I appreciate it when you can go."

"I love watching you play," she said as she laid her head back on his chest.

"And as much as I love talking about my family and football, there are other things on my mind right now, wife," Joe said as he rolled onto his side to face her. His lips claimed hers as his hand moved from her shoulder, pushing the raised sheet lower exposing her bare back.

"I'm thinking the same thing," she said as they pulled back for just a moment. Then she wrapped her arms around him and surrendered to the passion that consumed them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** So sorry for the delay! I've been out of town on vacation! But I'm back and here is a chapter now and I'll probably post the next one sooner than scheduled since this one is one of the shortest chapters in the story. :)

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 _Three weeks later, Friday around 10:00 a.m.…_

Joe disembarked the private plane that had been chartered for the football team. The team only used planes for a small portion of their game travel as the cost of the charters added up quickly. But the trip to ENCU would have been over ten hours and that's hoping the traffic around DC was good. The team was moving across the tarmac toward the terminal and the charter bus waiting to take them to their hotel. The team was, but Joe wasn't.

Coach Vorster put his hand on Joe's shoulder. "We'll see you tonight."

Joe turned slightly and smiled, "Yes, sir. I plan to be back in time for dinner and for all the game review this evening." Joe's attention turned to the man in the official looking dark suit approaching them. "I'm certain to be back."

Vorster nodded and turned to follow the team casting one last glance over his shoulder to see Joe shake the man in the suit's hand.

"Agent Gilroy," Joe said as he reached his hand forward.

Gilroy extended his hand and smiled as he clasped Joe's. "Call me Chris since we're not here on official business." FBI agent Chris Gilroy had been assigned to the trafficking case involving Joe and Iola's abduction.

Joe returned the smile and grabbed the handle of his rolling carryon that he still had. As Gilroy turned back toward the terminal, Joe fell into step with him. "Thank you for helping me with this, Chris."

"It's no problem, Joe. It might lead to a bit of awkwardness if Johnson or Williams finds out though."

"I'm sorry, sir. It's not that I don't want them to know about it. In fact, I'm ready to tell them about it but after I do it."

"Does your family know?" Gilroy asked as stepped forward to scan a badge at the exterior door leading into the terminal and then reached to open it.

"My wife knows." He didn't add that she wasn't all that happy of him going without some family support.

Gilroy chuckled, "Congratulations on your wedding. I believe that was a bit of a surprise as well."

Joe glanced over to the agent. "You know?"

Gilroy gave Joe a big smile. "Don't worry, I'm not a stalker; however, once you made your request, I did do a quick check on your status and it indicated your married state."

Joe nodded. A check made sense. Silence fell over the pair as they moved through the small terminal and then exited to a special parking area where Gilroy popped the trunk. Once the pair were inside the car, Gilroy asked. "Any reason that no one else knows?"

Joe stared straight ahead. He knew the question would be asked and he had his answer ready. "My family is coming to the game. They're worried about me." He paused. "Maybe worried is too strong. Concerned? They want to support me but I know they will also be super tuned in to how I act. I've discovered that being quiet for too long or being absent-minded when they are 'on watch' leads to them overanalyzing my behavior." He shrugged. "They usually think I'm dwelling on the past at the best or that my depression is returning at the worst."

"Is it?" Gilroy asked as he drove down the two lane road heading out of the city.

Joe turned to gaze at Gilroy. "No. I know what my demons are and how to fight them." He actually smiled and then he turned more somber. "I still think about what happened and the people that have tortured me. But what they did doesn't control what I do now."

"Then why do you want to see the house?"

Joe sat quietly for a moment. "I never saw how I got to the house and I never saw how I left it. I was drugged both times." His gaze returned to the road. "I guess since I was this close, I just wanted to see where it was and look at it one more time."

"Do you want to see the house in Michigan?"

Joe shook his head no. "No. It doesn't hold the same memories. The ones here are the strongest." Joe then asked the agent several questions about his current work as they drove for about an hour more.

"Here we are," Gilroy said as he turned on his signal.

The two lane road was bordered on both sides by forest that reminded Joe of the trees on the property. One side was a mixed forest of pines and deciduous hardwoods. The other side was a tree farm with neat rows of yellow pine. The entrance to the property was a simple dirt path that was well maintained and bordered on both sides by trees. They had gone about thirty yards when the gate and fence came into view. The sedan slowed to a crawl before stopping at the imposing gate. Gilroy got out and walked over the keypad.

Joe's gaze was following the fence as it disappeared into the trees around the bend. "And the owners said it was okay?"

Gilroy laughed as the gate began to pull back. "I'm an FBI agent, Joe. I don't trespass unless it's in regards to bad guys. The current owners are regular people who are currently out of the state."

Joe's gaze returned to Gilroy as the agent walked back to the car. "And they weren't put out at the request or upset?" Joe shook his head and looked back to the gate. "I wouldn't be upset if they were. I mean… what happened here…."

Gilroy's hand dropped from the door handle and he walked back over to Joe. "What happened here wasn't your fault. And the new owner bought the property because of its isolation. They were perfectly fine with allowing you to see the property."

Nodding and his gaze still on the driveway in front of him, Joe said, "I think I'd like to walk it if that's okay."

"Of course," Gilroy said and pressed the button locking the car. He waited and let Joe lead and walked a slight distance behind.

Joe spent about an hour walking the driveway, standing and viewing the house before walking around it. The pole where he had been whipped had be removed along with the bars that had been on his window. Other than that, everything looked the same except for the changing colors of the leaves. _Three years_ , he thought. _It's just been over three years since this happened. How much things have changed._

When he was done, he walked back toward Gilroy. "Thanks," he simply said as he passed him on his way back down the driveway. The memories would always be with him, but this particular demon bothered him less than others now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** I guess I'm not totally back from vacation. Thanks for the nudge, Jilsen! LOL Thanks for all the reviews! I try to respond to all who have PM enabled! Thanks again! Just a few chapters to go!

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

Joe was poised and ready; every muscle ready to spring into action as he looked down the line of scrimmage to his quarterback; the buzz of the crowd blocked disregarded. BC was down by two touchdowns and it was third long just before halftime. The throw would be to him fifteen yards downfield. He had to catch this ball. His concentration on the count was broken as the ENCU player across from him said, "You're used to being chased and caught aren't you, Hardy?"

 _Smack talk_ , Joe thought and put his thoughts on the count.

"Your last trip to NC didn't go so well, did it?"

The ball snapped and Joe was a second late leaving his mark and heading downfield. He turned at the appointed mark and caught the ball and then was hammered to the ground. The breath was knocked out of him and he felt light-headed, but he still heard the remark from his opponent when he stood.

"One of these days you won't be so lucky."

BC players were now over helping Joe up and Coach Vorster signaled for him to leave the game. Joe jogged across the field toward his bench but he kept glancing at number 46 on the ENCU team. _What made him make those comments? Maybe he was from the area and saw news coverage at the time._ Joe's thoughts stopped on that as the trainer was now asking him questions and making sure he was all right. When the trainer left, Joe's gaze turned to number 46 and watched him as he ran after another receiver.

BC was down by just one touchdown at the half and as Vorster gave his halftime speech and made some changes to how things were played, Joe's mind was still on number 46: Ian Taggert.

.**********.

When BC's offense was next on the field, Joe saw Biff lined up in the secondary for coverage on him. Taggert was covering one of BC's wide receivers. The play wasn't going to Joe but Joe ran in a pattern that caused Biff to follow him. When the running play was blown dead, Joe called out to Biff who turned to look at his friend. "Where's 46 from?"

Biff glanced to his teammate and then back to Joe. "Tennessee."

Joe knew that Biff would be wondering about that, but the field was no place to talk about this now. As Joe jogged back to the huddle, he knew that Tennessee didn't make a lot of sense for the comments. The guy had either looked up information on him… or someone had told him something. Joe's eyes turned to ENCU's bench where 46 now stood; his eyes on Joe.

.**********.

BC lost by a field goal but the team played well and Coach Vorster was good with that. Joe however, still had questions. The guy had made several comments over the course of the game that went beyond his captivity on Laird's properties. And for this, Joe wanted some answers. He was going to research Taggert some himself. As a player on the team, he had only been concerned with how the guy played. But now, he wanted to know why an ENCU player knew so much about him.

.**********.

Joe hadn't said anything to his family or friends that night, but now it was Sunday afternoon and they were home. Joe sat beside Vanessa on the loveseat and watched her fingers move deftly over the keys.

"I'm going to do just a regular Google search-" Vanessa began.

Joe rolled his eyes as he interrupted her. "Sweetie, I did that already-"

Then Vanessa cut him off. "It gives me some ideas of other places to look. I'm checking for general knowledge of Ian Taggert of the ENCU football team who hails from Tennesse. Then we'll look him up in some of the databases I have access to and see if it matches or if it contradicts."

"Sorry," Joe said.

Vanessa's left hand left the keys for a moment to pat his leg but her eyes didn't leave the screen. "It's okay. I know that it's put you on edge."

An hour later, they had all the basic facts on Taggert. For the most part, there wasn't anything to concern them. But there were two things that did. In high school he had made several comments on social media about his dislike of local police in particular and law enforcement in general. He had made these types of comments for about a year and then they suddenly stopped. The other thing that caught their attention was that Taggert had won two competitions for summer biathlon in the state. In this competition, instead of skiing, the contestants ran and shot. He had won the competitions easily and had been contacted by the US biathlon group regarding training for the Olympics but he had turned them down.

Neither of these things would be enough to cause concerns generally. The couple however, did find it odd that Taggert had singled Joe out for confrontation. Taggert had been injured the previous season and hadn't played BC so this game was the first one for Joe to play against him.

Joe looked at the screen trying to find some meaning in the words displayed. But none of it really made sense.

Vanessa placed her hand over his. "Don't you think it could have been trash talk that sounded like more? I mean, beyond the comments related to Laird."

Joe shrugged and looked down to her hand that was laid over his. Her diamond and sapphire ring twinkled in the overhead light. "I guess it could. The Laird stuff he could find out easily enough. But the other comments…."

Taggert had bumped Joe as they headed off for halftime. The stadium lights were on and music for the halftime show was already starting to pulse from the speakers. Taggert had asked, "Bright lights and loud music get to you, Hardy?" And another time, he had tackled Joe at the perfect moment as he was catching the ball, causing him to drop it. Taggert had laughed and said, "Took you out like a sniper!"

"We should tell Frank and ORT." Vanessa said as she squeezed his hand.

His eyes rose to hers. "I'm probably being paranoid."

She frowned. "You are not paranoid and even if you were, you have a right to be. We'll tell Frank, Johnson, and Williams. Let's see what they think."

.**********.

"Can I get you anything?" Vanessa asked Frank as she stood near the fridge.

"No, I'm good," he said as he sat down in a chair. His eyes moved to his brother seated on the loveseat. "What's up?" For him to be over without Callie indicated that it was something related to their work with ORT.

"I'm trying to decide if I'm being paranoid," Joe said as Vanessa sat beside him and took his hand.

"Paranoid? About what?" Frank asked. Joe had been through a lot in his nineteen years and he wouldn't say a word if his brother was a tad bit paranoid. He had good reason to be.

Vanessa let go of Joe's hand and pointed to her laptop on the coffee table. "It's all there."

Frank leaned over and picked the computer up and placed it on his lap. He scanned the basic info and looked back up at his brother. "Ian Taggert? Number 46 from the game?" When Joe nodded he looked back down at the screen. There was a list of comments that Taggert had said to Joe during the game and then the background info that included his ability to shoot under pressure. Finishing the information, he closed the screen and placed the laptop back on the coffee table. "I don't think you're paranoid at all. Have you contacted ORT?"

"Yes," Joe said. "We have an appointment with Johnson and Williams at 3:30 tomorrow." He paused. "I was hoping you'd come too."

"You can't keep me away," Frank said seriously. "It might be nothing or it might be something serious. I want to be part of the discussion and part of the investigation if it comes to that."

"Thanks," Vanessa said with a smile. "How about we head out and pick up Callie and get something to eat?"

Frank returned her smile and noticed that Joe seemed to have relaxed a little more. "Sounds great. I'll call her."

Soon the two couples were on their way to Prito's for supper. Frank found it interesting that they could go from ORT conversations to college co-ed pizza runs. Their life certainly wasn't normal but he hoped that somehow Joe's instincts were wrong about Taggert.

.**********.

 _Late the next afternoon…_

Agent Johnson walked briskly into the ORT conference room and closed the door. "I'm afraid it's just me. Agent Williams had a call that she had to take. I'll brief her on our meeting."

Everyone nodded their acceptance.

Johnson sat and moved the rolling chair forward so that he could place both forearms on the table. "The information you sent us was very interesting. Ian Taggert's name had not been on our radar before but our contacts in eastern Tennessee were able to get us some interesting information." Johnson paused and then said, "It seems that Taggert was a really good football player but had several run-ins with local law enforcement, as indicated by your research. But what your research doesn't show and can't is the personal reflection of the locals."

"And just what is that?" Frank asked, feeling that the information wasn't going to be what he wanted to hear.

"Taggert had won some local shooting competitions in high school; which isn't surprising for the rural area he's from. What was noticeable was some people who were obviously NOT from the local area attended one of the shoots Taggert's junior year in high school. Word was out, that they were some kind of college scouts. That summer after the shooting tournament, Taggert went off for the summer. His parents said it was some kind of exchange program but there isn't any documentation that we can find anywhere that he was in a certified or registered program anywhere. He seems to have been off grid."

"Completely?" Vanessa asked in a surprised tone.

"We're running some things to search back three years in his general history but nothing has come up so far."

"That's concerning that there's no record of him for a whole summer," Frank said as he leaned back in his chair. He stole a glance to his brother.

"What happened when he came back?" Joe asked.

"He competed in a fall shooting tournament and blew the competition out of the water. He suddenly becomes a model citizen and has no problems in the community or at school. College recruiters then start to look at him more seriously since he's no longer a big risk for being a problem in their sporting programs. That spring he accepts ENCU's offer and begins training for a summer biathlon which he's never shown interest in before. He wins that one and the one held this past summer."

The conference room was quiet.

"What do you think it means?" Frank asked.

Johnson leaned back and paused. Obviously, he was measuring his words. "ORT recruited you when you were in high school. We aren't the only group that has starting recruiting younger candidates."

"The Network?" Vanessa asked.

Johnson shook his head. "No, we would know if it was them or another US legitimate group. No. I'm talking about a group working against this country. There are several but the Assassins is one of them." He paused in the silence of the room. "I think that Ian Taggert could very well be a recruit of the Assassins."

Frank, Joe and Vanessa shared looks between each other. It was what they had been thinking but they had hoped that ORT would have another explanation. Now the question was, what did it mean for them?

.**********.

That evening Joe sat on the loveseat while checking his email on his phone. Vanessa dropped a pan in the kitchen that clattered loudly as it bounced a couple of times before settling innocently in place. She let out an uncharacteristic curse word as she picked it up and moved to the sink to wash it off.

Joe stood quickly and pocketed the phone. Email could wait, his wife could not. She jumped as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey," he said quietly. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said brightly as she squirted dish soap vigorously into the pan.

Joe massaged her shoulders and when he felt her relax some, his hands dropped to her waist and he began kissing her neck.

She tilted her head to the side allowing him to work his way up to nibble on her ear. "Are you trying to seduce me or just distract me?" she asked breathily.

"A little of both," he said with a chuckle and then went back to work kissing her neck.

Vanessa turned around to face him; both of them still intimately close. "You can't ignore it-"

"I'm not," Joe said quietly but firmly. "There's no reason that Taggert would come after me. He was getting in some digs and actually, he did us a favor because we now know to keep tabs on him."

"Yes, I know. We discussed that this afternoon."

"Then what's got you on edge?"

Vanessa focused her gaze firmly on his neck of his tee shirt while her hands rested on his shoulders. She shrugged and her gaze lifted. "I guess it was learning that people our age actually get recruited by the enemy." She let out a sigh. "I know. It's naïve of me. I know that the bad guys don't have to be old or even guys. But this was just a…" Her voice trailed off.

"A wake up call." Joe pulled her close. "I don't think you're naïve. I think we both just want to think the best of people. But now we know."

"And we can be on guard."

"Exactly," Joe said and then he bent to kiss his wife lingeringly. "Now back to that seduction," he whispered huskily to her before scooping her up in his arms and heading toward their room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter is for all the F/C fans. Enjoy... even though Joe and Vanessa do still pop up here.

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

Classes, football, and ORT training continued for the trio and Joe and Vanessa settled into their life as a married couple. Thanksgiving rolled around and the family holiday went incredibly well. Aunt Gertrude had only fussed at Joe slightly regarding his elopement; Fenton and Laura had spoken to her about what Vanessa had done for Joe and his recovery and her opinion had completely changed. She now adored Vanessa so she didn't complain to her about the wedding. Thoughts of Morgan Harris that had plagued Joe just a few years earlier at the holiday were nowhere in sight. Vanessa had done much to help rid Joe of those demons. He was visibly looking more like his old self with his blonde hair growing closer to its pre-abduction length and as far as his behavior was concerned, he was more like the Joe from his pre-Laird days than he had been in awhile.

Frank thought about their recent trip to the shooting range that ORT maintained and he was reminded again of what a lethal agent his brother was in regards to his abilities to handle small firearms as well as sniping from a distance. But those thoughts left him as his brother closed the van door and put his arm around Vanessa as they headed back to their apartment. Frank's eyes scanned the area, looking for any obvious or hidden dangers. _Can't be too careful, not with Joe's track record._

Laughter.

Frank's looked to his girlfriend in the front seat of the van. Her eyes were on his brother and Vanessa so he looked that way as well when he heard Vanessa cry out.

"Joe! Put me down! You're embarrassing me!"

His brother's response was drowned out by the distance and the van exterior. But Frank could clearly see that Joe had picked up Vanessa and thrown her over his shoulder and she was play smacking at his back and yelling to be put down.

Frank smiled. Vanessa was so good for his brother. They had all been out to eat and look at some of the Christmas lights that were already put up around Bayport. Vanessa cried out again and Frank had to chuckle.

Joe did release his wife but held her in the circle of his arms for a moment and gave her a quick kiss before they linked arms and entered the apartment building.

Frank's attention was drawn back to Callie once again as she laughed. "They are quite a pair aren't they?" he asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes. You know I wasn't sure how it was going to work out." Callie's tone was thoughtful but she was still smiling as turned her attention to Frank.

Frank's brow creased at her comment. He didn't realize that Callie had any doubts about Joe and Vanessa. It was almost like she could read his mind when she responded.

"Oh, it's not that I doubt how they feel about each other. Not at all," she said, continuing to smile. Her eyes went to the building but the happy couple had already entered and there was nothing to see so she turned back to Frank. "It's just that they've been through so much. I guess I didn't expect for Joe to make such a quick return to his old self." Her smile faded and her voice became softer, "After Laird… the Saccos… and now this latest…." She didn't continue. It was almost as if the words alone were enough to take her back.

Frank was transported back as well to just a few months previous. Callie had seen him in so many emotional states during Joe's abduction and she had been his rock. Nothing he said or did phased her during that time or at least she didn't let it show. In fact, he didn't know what he would have done without her during those weeks. And then… when the mental torture that Joe had been through caused him to doubt his relationships with both himself and Vanessa… well, Callie was the one who helped Joe find himself and he could never be able to thank her enough for helping restore his relationship with his brother. Joe was back, but Callie was right in that he had bounced back at a faster rate than his previous abduction experiences.

"Yeah, I know. It took him quite a bit of time to come back from those. But that was before he and Vanessa were dating." He didn't say more as it was one of Callie's best friends, Iola, that had had made Joe's recovery slower for both of those events. But Joe and Iola were on friendly terms now and bringing that up wouldn't do any good. Frank put the van in reverse so he could take Callie back to her dorm.

The pair sat in comfortable silence as the van traveled toward the university that was just a short distance from Joe's apartment building. They were nearing the college when Callie said, "You know. The two of them make married life look so easy."

It was a casual comment, but Frank wondered if there were more to it. His eyes shifted to Callie's profile and back to the road. "Do you envy them?"

"What?" Callie asked in surprise.

Now Frank felt like he had made something out of nothing. "Um. I just wondered if you envied them."

Callie laughed, "Like do I wish I was married?"

Now Frank was starting to feel warm. This conversation had taken a dramatic turn and he wasn't sure where it was going and what he would feel about it all. In a flash, he realized there wasn't a good response for her to have. If she said yes, that would be awkward. If she said no, then did that mean she wasn't thinking about marriage at all? Frank was once again searching for words and the feeling was foreign to him. "I, um, well, I guess. I mean, I wasn't really thinking to ask you that." He stopped. He wasn't making anything better.

Callie chuckled. "Feel like you opened a can of worms, Frank?"

Then he calmed down. THIS was Callie and he could talk to her about anything… even (or maybe especially) thoughts of marriage. He smiled as he saw the entrance to her dorm parking area coming up. "Not at all," he said calmly. "But just give me a minute." He could see her smile as he signaled his up-coming turn. He parked at the far side of the lot where there wasn't much foot traffic and put the vehicle into park but left it running to ward off the chill in the late November air.

Frank shifted in his seat so that he could face her better and she did the same releasing her seatbelt. Frank continued to smile as he said, "Not a can of worms but I'll admit once I said it I wasn't sure what your response would be and for a moment that made me nervous." His smiled faded but a hint of it was still there.

"Ah," Callie said and her smile didn't fade. "Well, why don't we make sure we are both talking about the same thing. That we're talking about you and me." She pointed her finger back and forth between them. "Not some imaginary couple and what they might or might not do."

"Agreed," Frank said with a smile.

"Well then. The way it sounded when you made you comment about whether I envied Joe and Vanessa… were you asking if I wish we were married?"

Frank paused for a moment. This WAS what he was thinking. "Yes." Now he drew a deep breath because she would give him an answer.

"No."

Frank's brows drew together. She was so quick and confident in her answer-

"Not yet." She smiled broadly which eased the tension in his brows. "Do I want to be as happy with you as Vanessa is with Joe? Yes." She nodded. "Do I need to be married right now to feel that? No." She was still smiling. "Do I want to marry you?" She winked. "I think you know the answer to that."

Frank began to breath easier. While marriage now seemed perfect for Joe and Vanessa, he wanted to wait just a bit longer. He would graduate next year and his preliminary ORT training was almost all done. But he didn't think he wanted to wait much more than that. After all, Joe did have a point about 'why wait if you know what you want?' But he and Callie weren't Joe and Vanessa. "I think you know my answer to that as well," Frank said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

Callie glanced out the window of the van. "You're not going to make me walk all the way from here are you?" she laughed.

The awkward moment was relieved and Frank felt a reassuring calm that came with the knowledge that he could talk about anything with Callie. Frank put the van in reverse and began backing up. "No way. I'm going to carry you right up to the door." His smile was mischievous, and Callie must have noticed the look and his wording.

"Um, you're not planning on throwing me over your shoulder are you?" she asked in mock horror.

"I'll guess you'll find out in about a minute."

When they parked, Callie hurriedly got out and began to move quickly toward her dorm entrance drawing some attention to herself and Frank who was getting out of the van. "Don't you dare!" she laughingly called over her shoulder as she moved around a student who was walking slowly in front of her.

Her laughter turned to shrieks as Frank scooped her up in his arms but he didn't throw her over his shoulder but held her close. Her arms were thrown up around his neck and he leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I envied Joe holding the love of his life so close." He squeezed her gently as he walked toward the door. "Thought I'd do the same." He saw her smile as she laid her head on his chest. There was not doubt in his mind about that.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** Thank you for the continued support! One more chapter after this. And I have to admit, I have only written 1 chapter on the next story. I'm in a bit of a writing slump but just give me a little time. I am still writing. LOL In fact, I actually finished that first chapter yesterday. Just still figuring out the storyline. :)

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 _The following weekend…_

"You're absolutely sure you want to go into the feeding frenzy?" Joe asked with a shudder that wasn't a joke.

Vanessa laughed at her husband's horror. "I'm a woman. I'm used to it and you know that crowds don't bother me." She grabbed her black leather coat from the stand and began putting it on. "We go into the city all the time on the train and it doesn't bother you. Plus, I LIVED there." She pulled up the zipper and reached for her purse.

"Well, hoards of people aren't flocking to ORT to look at fifty different styles of shirts," he said as he crossed his arms but there was a twinkle in his eye now.

"I'm not going for shirts; I'm going for 50% off sale that will only be for two hours this morning."

"So, no shirts?"

Vanessa smiled. "I'm not going for shirts specifically. But if there's one at 50% off that I like…"

Joe laughed. "That's what I thought."

Vanessa moved toward the door. "You know I haven't finished all my Christmas shopping and it's just two weeks away!" She gave him what he termed a speculative look and asked, "You've gotten your mom and dad a gift, right?"

Joe began to flush and his arms tightened a little more across his chest. "Well, um. I got mom a necklace. Remember? I showed it to you."

Vanessa paused and then said, "Yes you did. It was actually a very nice piece. So, your mom is done. What about your dad?" She reached in her purse to get her keys as she waited for Joe's response.

"Socks?"

Vanessa stopped looking through her purse and frowned at Joe. "Socks? You are getting your dad socks?"

"Underwear?"

Vanessa shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You and Frank honestly get your dad socks and underwear?"

Joe's tone sounded a little defensive. "He's always acted like he liked them and sometimes we get him a little more."

"Have you bought it yet?"

"The socks?"

"Yes!" Vanessa said with some exasperation.

"Not yet."

"Well, good." She began her search for the keys again. "Don't. Go online and find him an online subscription to a magazine or newspaper that he likes. You know he's gotten into reading things online. Do the same for your mom. Wait." She looked up, still not having found her keys. "I'll pick out you mom's subscription. I don't think she'd be a fan of Car and Driver."

Joe looked slightly offended. "I know better than that."

"Well, at least you weren't buying her socks," Vanessa laughed and reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the missing keys. "Finally." She moved to the door and Joe followed. "I'll get something for your dad and Callie. I leave it up to you to shop for your brother if you haven't already."

Joe's flush said that he hadn't finished his shopping yet either. "I wish that Callie was going with you."

"She would be but she had already planned to visit her Dad since she'll be staying in town this Christmas and will spend it with her mom."

"Yeah, I remember."

"I'm fine going alone. Remember I'm shopping for presents and it's easier if I don't have those I'm buying for with me."

"Maybe I should-"

"Nope. Nada. No way." She laughed and winked. "I'm picking a nice shirt out for you." She hurriedly opened the door and exited, her laughter drifting back to Joe.

.**********.

 _Several hours later…_

Joe heard his phone vibrating on the wooden table and gave one last glance to the recorded game he had been watching and pressed 'pause.' He thought it might be Vanessa but instead, it was Frank. "Hey man, what are you doing calling so early this morning?"

"Joe? Are you okay? I'm on my way over right now. I'll be there in five minutes-"

"Frank, what are you talking about?"

"Are you watching tv?"

"Yeah, I recorded last night's game-"

"Turn to any of the local stations but DON'T go anywhere until I get there!" Frank's voice was insistent and worried.

Joe moved to the tv and switched the channel and then he dropped to the loveseat as his knees gave out. He had to focus; what was the reporter saying?

"… authorities are detaining everyone that was in the parking garage and have indicated they are looking at security footage to determine who the assailants are."

"Chanda, have the police indicated that there was more than one gunman?" The network anchor's voice was calm.

Chanda placed a hand to her head as if adjusting her earpiece. "They haven't confirmed it, but eyewitnesses have indicated that there were two." She looked behind her as two ambulances left the structure. "Libby Anson was with her mother for the shopping trip and they have already been removed by ambulance earlier. However, reports indicate that there were many in the garage at the time Ms. Anson left as the large Garvin sale this morning had ended-"

Joe's brain shut down for a moment. Garvin. It's where Vanessa was going. Libby Anson was the wife of NY State Senator Cap Anson, who was pushing through some legislation that could have a large effect on some of the larger criminal elements in the state regarding drug enforcement and penalties. Libby, and therefore Cap, was the object of an attack… was Vanessa in the garage? Joe could hear Frank's voice on the phone but he disconnected the call and dialed Vanessa's phone. It went straight to VM. She would have called him if she was able. She would know that he would see the coverage on the news. If she didn't call and she wasn't answering… He was on his way out of the door when it opened to show Frank almost to his door.

"Grab you coat," he said. "I'll drive."

Joe hadn't really thought about how he was going to get to the site. Vanessa had the car and Frank had the van. He grabbed the first available jacket and followed his brother out the door. "Do you know the names of anyone in the attack?"

Frank shook his head. "I only know what was on tv though I've put in a call to Johnson and Williams.

Joe's phone rang, it was his dad. He spoke with his father a few minutes and then ended the call. Fenton would use his available contacts to try to get information, but he felt that ORT would be able to get answers the fastest. He had just relayed that information to Frank when Frank's phone rang; Joe picked it up immediately. The code name for Johnson was on the screen.

"What do you know?" Joe asked firmly.

"The news has it right. The attack was aimed at Libby Anson. She and her mother are at the hospital along with a dozen others who were critically wounded and probably a dozen more who were only injured minorly."

"Vanessa?"

"She's one of the of the ones who was flagged as critical. They're taking her to Mercy General. Meet us there."

Joe didn't respond to Johnson but stared straight ahead as he told Frank where to go. When Frank asked him to plug the hospital into the map program, he was barely able to do it. His mind went back to their wedding just a few short months back. He thought of how happy they had been together. And his mind went back to the little he knew. She was in the hospital, possibly shot. Vanessa wasn't supposed to be injured. It was always to be him. It was never supposed to be Vanessa….

.**********.

Four hours later, Joe sat beside by Vanessa's hospital bed. His family and Andrea had waited with him at the hospital for her to get out of surgery. They had all briefly seen her but he was left alone with her for the moment. He would of course send for them when she awoke. But she was in the surgery recovery area and guests were limited.

Joe gently grasped her hand which was limp and cool to the touch in his. His eyes strayed to the bags holding blood and other liquids that she needed. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but the account he had from the EMT who treated her in the ambulance was rather remarkable. After the initial attack, which was on Libby and her mother, the gunmen were said to be shooting random people in the garage as they made their escape. An eyewitness, who was a nurse leaving at the same time, said that Vanessa had dropped her bags and made her way to an area behind the fleeing attackers and tackled one of them before they could enter the stairwell. She managed to get the gun from the assailant but took a knife cut and blow to the head as she fired. The witness and the evidence suggest that the bullet hit the attacker but wasn't enough to stop them from fleeing. The nurse had then rushed to her aid, putting on a tourniquet for the knife wound to her leg. Thankfully, medical care arrived quickly and Vanessa wasn't in danger of losing her leg but she had lost a lot of blood and the bump on her head was rather large. She had regained consciousness in the ambulance but had passed out again.

The key thing was: she was going to be fine.

Joe rested his head against the rail of the bed. The cool silver metal felt good to him and he focused on it. He felt her hand twitch and he lifted his head quickly looking for signs of awareness from his wife. There wasn't any and he rested his head against the rail once more.

A few minutes later and he felt the movement again and he raised his head slowly, expecting to see the same thing he had the last three times he had felt a movement. But this time, it was different. Her beautiful blue gray eyes were trained on him and then they went around the room. "Well you were right," she said huskily.

He racked his brain for what he might have said but came up with nothing. "What do you mean?"

"It's no fun being in the hospital." She smiled.

He managed a smile back and said, "Now that you know I was speaking the truth, never do this again." Her eyes blinked rapidly and he reached to press the call button.

"I promise if you promise," she said as she sleepily closed her eyes.

"Wish I could, babe," he whispered as the nurse came in to check on them. He squeezed her hand and stepped back to give the nurse room. He looked at his wife and made a vow. He'd get whoever did this to her and the others and bring them to justice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

 **Thanks once again to Wendylouwho10 who read over my story for flow, content, and the occasional grammar/misspelling!**

 **Rating/Setting:** Rating is T. Series started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. F/20 J/19

 **Author's Notes:** So my apologies for the delay and a thank you to Jilsen for the reminder message today! LOL I've been camping! And I'm getting too old for it! LOL But now you know why Frank and Joe go camping in my stories!

A big thank you to all who have been reading and an even bigger thank you to all of you who took the time to drop a review note. :-) And apologies for not getting to everyone on that last chapter. Camping preparations. LOL I'll do better here on this one. :-)

And I do remember a number of you hazarding a guess as to where the next story will be going based on that last chapter. Well, this chapter will seal the deal and perhaps have a bit of a surprise. ;-) And yes, I have started on the next story, but I'm only on chapter 1 so it will be several months before I get that ready. Sorry! But I will say that the next story is like this one in that it begins immediately after this one ends. ;-) I would give you a title... but I don't know it yet. I have a tentative one but I don't like it. LOL So that part is a mystery to us all!

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the end of the story. :)

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

It was that nebulous time between Christmas and New Year's. The time of the year where kids are out on break and no one really wants to work as they wait for the New Year's holiday and another day off work. And Joe wasn't ungrateful for what he had. In fact, Christmas was extra special as he still had Vanessa with him.

She had provided all of them with her side of the event. How she had disarmed the attacker and taken the knife in the leg as she had a choke hold on the person and her legs wrapped around them. She was lucky that they hadn't attempted to use the knife further. She had grabbed the gun that was on the floor beside her as the assailant had stood. They had kicked at her just as she fired. They had missed the gun but the boot had made solid contact with the side of her head and she didn't remember anything after that until she came to in the ambulance.

The couple had spent part of Christmas with his parents and her mother and now they were back at their apartment. She no longer had to use the wheelchair but used crutches to make sure that she rested the leg and didn't aggravate the injury. She seemed okay with things. Even the fact that no one was taking formal responsibility for the attack which ended up killing Libby's mother and Libby herself was still in the hospital. All the other injured had recovered, just as Vanessa had. Was it coincidence that the attackers missed killing so many or was it intentional? ORT hadn't been able to provide any further detail. The attackers, even with one wounded, had managed to get away. No trail was found indicating that there had to be back-up and a larger number of people involved.

"Joe?"

"You need something?" He put on a smile. He had been caught again and he knew that she didn't like him to dwell on what happened.

The look she gave him was speculative but she didn't ask and so he didn't comment further.

"Can you get me my tablet? I left it in the bedroom."

"Sure thing," he said with a smile. He didn't mind doing anything for her. He went into the bedroom and walked around to her side of the bed. He smiled as he looked at the crocheted doily under the antique glass lamp. A picture of her parents and another of them on their wedding were on the end table along with a place to charge her phone. Her tablet was right beside it. He picked it up and moved back around the bed when he noticed the screen on his phone activate. Curious, he walked over. His end table had a mixture of cough drops, loose change, and receipts. He had a matching antique glass lamp that he was forever nervous about breaking and an identical phone charging stand. He picked up the phone and saw that it was a text. The message simple said: "Meet me in the laundry. Gray."

There was no number attached. Nothing. And it was sent just now. He looked around the room and eyed the window. Was it coincidence that his phone activated when he was in the room AND when he had a load of laundry waiting in the living room to go downstairs? His eyes narrowed. Probably not. He'd meet Gray if for no other reason that he would tell the man to stop watching them. He didn't appreciate it. But then he wondered why Gray was contacting him.

"Hun?"

"Coming!" Joe called and pocketed his phone. He walked quickly into the other room and handed her the tablet and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too, Joe." She looked at the tablet and said, "Thanks for getting this for me."

"No problem. I'll take the laundry down now." He picked up the basket and headed for the door. "I look forward to getting that married student housing and we can get our own washer/dryer."

His hand was on the doorknob when she replied, "But such interesting things happen in laundry rooms."

Joe froze and turned and gave her a quizzical look. "Huh?"

Vanessa laughed, "Oh, don't you remember our time in Michigan and all those trips I made to the laundry room to meet with Frank?"

Joe forced a laugh, "Yeah, I guess I do." Then he smiled, "But I really only had the one interesting trip to the laundry. You were the one who got to have all that fun."

"Please. That time I had to flirt with Frank was NO fun. Ugh!" She laughed. "I'd tell you not to bring that up again but then I'm the one who did."

Joe tapped his head. "Blame it on the concussion. That's what I always do."

Her laughter followed him out of the room. But his smile faded as he headed for the stairs.

.**********.

Arthur Gray was an unassuming man. Today he was dressed in a nice suit that matched his name. It wasn't fancy or one that drew attention. Quite the opposite, it was one that would blend into a crowd or into a cityscape. He pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up on his nose as he stepped away from the wall. It wasn't lost on Joe that Arthur had been facing the door and that he made sure that no one could sneak up behind him. It was something he himself did most of the time. It was part of his nature now to be suspicious and he knew Arthur Gray had even more reason to be so.

"Mr. Hardy, thank you for coming."

Joe put the basket on the first table that was available and the moved the stop that was holding the door open. When it closed, he said, "Stop spying on us."

Arthur Gray inclined his head. "I needed to do so this time so that I could talk with you in private."

"I don't keep things from Vanessa."

"That is your choice and I'm not saying that you can't share this conversation with her. I just thought that with the content of our discussion, you might appreciate it being just the two of us." Gray put his hands in his pants pockets and his jacket fell open slightly and Joe could see the shoulder holster strap.

Joe would have been surprised if the agent wasn't carrying and he doubted that Gray was trying to intimidate him. In fact, by putting his hands in his pockets, he was putting himself at a disadvantage. All of which was put to put Joe at ease. The question was, why? "And just what do we have to discuss, Agent Gray?"

"The Anson incident." It was all Gray said. It was all he needed to say.

"Do you have information that ORT doesn't?" Joe was certain that Johnson and Williams would have shared what ORT had.

"I do."

When Gray wasn't forthcoming, Joe said, "Let's not play games, Gray. You didn't just come here to tell me that you have information that ORT doesn't. So, what do you want?"

"I want to catch those responsible for taking the life of Senator Anson's mother-in-law and for injuring twenty-six others, including your wife." He paused a moment and then said, "And I'd like you to assist us."

This got Joe's attention. He wasn't Frank and he wasn't Vanessa. He wouldn't be looking to find financial ties or searching for digital contacts between players. No, his talents lay in other areas which made him wonder. "Does ORT know that you're contacting me?"

"Not yet, but if you agree then we will formalize the arrangement."

"By 'we' do you mean the Network?"

"I do."

"So, the Network has information about the Anson incident that they haven't shared with ORT?" Joe crossed his arms over his chest and looked carefully at Gray.

"We do. ORT also has information about things that we do not have. I'm not saying it's the best way, Mr. Hardy, I'm just telling you this is how it is. There are things that don't need to be shared across several agencies and thereby bringing possibly hundreds into the loop on a situation. THAT is how leaks happen and missions fail." Gray paused here.

Joe wasn't sure if the pause was because Gray was extraordinarily pleased with his speech or if he was just waiting for a response from Joe. "Are you willing to tell me about the incident without my agreeing to help or is the information sharing based on me assisting you?"

"As I already stated, bringing people into the loop who are unnecessary brings the possibility of leaks. If you will be assisting with the mission to bring these people to justice, then the sharing of information becomes a necessity." Gray tilted his head and now stood with his arms crossed over his chest once more. "What will it be, Mr. Hardy? I can leave now and no hard feelings. Just say the word."

Joe thought for a moment. Vanessa would probably argue for him not to agree. She didn't have a good experience with the Network when they helped them the previous year protecting two teenagers. Perhaps that was the real reason Gray hadn't wanted to do this with Vanessa present. "I suppose you're not willing to wait while I talk this over with Vanessa?"

Gray shook his head no.

"So you have no need for her skills or my brother's?" The answer to this would be telling to Joe.

"No, we don't. We have the information and leads we need in the cyber-world. We don't need a female to infiltrate and she would be too high profile. Your brother? He would always be useful but we have others that can perform what needs to be done."

"What needs to be done that only I can do?"

"To be clear. You aren't the only one that can do it. We can actually do this without you but we thought you'd like to assist."

Joe's blood turned cold. Assassins. They had to be involved. While Vanessa wasn't the primary target, they had hurt her and what they had done to him and tried to get him to do to his brother…. He remembered his vows at his wedding and his more recent vow to bring those responsible to justice. He knew the kind of justice that the Network might want him, a trained sniper, to assist with… this was one of those situations that he knew he'd have to confront someday. And that day had arrived sooner rather than later.

"Well, Mr. Hardy? Do I leave or do I bring you in on the case?"

"I'm in." The words were said and he had cast his lot. "Tell me who did this."

"You know who it was, Joe. It was the Assassins. They were paid by a loosely allied group of drug cartels in the NY state area. We're currently gathering the needed evidence to bring top players in the cartels to justice. But the Assassins? They won't be taken alive."

"You know where they are? I thought there was no trail."

"Sometimes disinformation to the public is needed. Actually, your wife is the reason we have the information that we do. The injury she caused left a blood trail that we were able to follow and then various security cameras gave us the rest. It's a rare slip up on their part, and now we have knowledge of where they could be. We're in the process of narrowing down the location as they have gone to ground since the attack. If we find them, we'll try to tranquilize them. We're just not sure if the drug will be able to take effect before they activate their cyanide capsule."

Joe nodded. He'd seen how quickly that worked. "Don't make it a rifle. Give me a tranq pistol. I'm equally good at both." He raised his right fist. "I'm also known to have a mean right hook and I don't mind getting in close."

For the first time, Gray smiled. "Your willingness to take the fight to the enemy was never in question and it is why we wanted to give you a chance with this even though you are extremely close to the situation."

"Not concerned that I'll take too many chances?"

"Your history shows that you tend to know exactly what choices to make. In fact, your ability to think fast on your feet makes you a perfect candidate." Gray looked to his watch. "Your wife is probably expecting you back by now."

"How much can I tell her?"

"I'll leave that to your discretion. But know that this can't be leaked. Our window on this will be small. We'll call you in tomorrow to brief you and then you'll be on assignment until it's complete. You'll need to have someone stay with your wife if she still needs assistance. There'll be no contact until it's done." Gray frowned and said, "If your brother stays with her, you can tell him the bare minimum." Gray's voice was stern.

"Understood. I'll wait for your directions and I'll bring my things for an extended stay."

Gray nodded and moved toward the door. "Welcome aboard."

Joe heard the door close behind him. He reached for the basket of dirty clothes and thought of what he'd tell Vanessa. She wasn't going to like it and in fact he might get the cold shoulder for awhile, but there was no way she'd ever try to stop him from getting some closure with the Assassins.

His thought as he left the laundry was, _There are some shots that I don't mind taking._


End file.
